london centre for music: diller scofidio + renfro reveals design concept

UPDATE: on february 18, 2021, it was announced that, given the current unprecedented circumstances, plans for the diller scofidio + renfro-designed ‘centre for music’ would not progress. alternative proposals for the site — currently occupied by the museum of london — will be brought forward over the coming months. meanwhile, a major renewal of london’s barbican centre has been confirmed, with the project to launch in 2022. see images of the proposed ‘centre for music’ in designboom’s article from january 2019 below.

the first concept designs for a major new music venue in london have been released. designed by diller scofidio + renfro (DS+R), the unveiling of the ‘centre for music’ follows the news that local authorities have backed the next phase of work by providing £2.49 million to undertake further design development, fundraising, and business modelling. the project would see the creation of a brand new concert hall as well as spaces for performance, education, and rehearsal.

all images courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

the cultural organizations behind the project — the barbican, london symphony orchestra, and guildhall school of music & drama — say that the ‘centre for music’ hopes to inspire a new generation with a love of music. the concept designs, drawn up by lead architects diller scofidio + renfro, propose reimagining and transforming the layout and public realm of the current museum of london site, creating open, welcoming and traffic free public spaces, while also linking to the barbican estate’s highwalk network.

the entry plaza would draw the public from all directions

‘we want to unlock the urban potential of the centre for music’s site at the southern tip of the barbican by reclaiming the roundabout for the public realm, where the car’s isolating effects are keenly felt today,’ explains liz diller, founding partner of DS+R. ‘a vital public space seamlessly connects to the foyer and extends a welcome to everyone, with or without a performance ticket. the foyer would be abuzz day and night, filled with activity and glimpses into the inner life of the hall.’

informal performances can take place throughout the building

the 2,000-seat concert hall has been designed as the ‘heart’ of the project. here, the audience wraps all sides of the stage in a surround-seating configuration that guarantees high-quality views for all visitors. ‘the hall reconciles a bespoke and loose fit approach: tailored for exceptional symphonic sound, yet agile enough to accommodate creative work across disciplines, in a variety of genres,’ says DS+R. ‘acoustically controlled pods integrated into the hall seating provide visual porosity for education.’

the 2,000-seat concert hall is the proposed heart of the project

the preferred site for the world class music venue, which the city of london corporation has agreed in principle to make available, is currently occupied by the museum of london, and would become available when the museum fulfills its ambition to move to a larger site at west smithfield. diller scofidio + renfro won the competition to complete the ‘centre for music’ in october 2017, with the next phase of work expected to conclude in early 2020.

acoustically controlled pods integrated into the hall seating provide visual porosity for education